Many of the world’s 6,000 to 8,000 rare diseases are chronic, progressive, and often life-threatening, but few can be treated effectively—or even diagnosed reliably and early enough for best therapeutic outcomes. The International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC), launched in 2011 by the European Commission and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, unites public and private funders and coordinates research efforts toward an ambitious goal: develop 200 new therapies and means to diagnose most rare diseases by 2020.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how IRDiRC and its partner organizations operate in an international arena
• Attract interested organizations (pharmaceutical, diagnostics companies, and research investors)
• Present the opportunities and challenges of developing drugs and diagnostics for rare diseases

Ability Level: All

Session ID: 2003